DIY Embroidery Hoop Decor

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Every now and then, craft supplies serve a much larger purpose than their original intention. The wooden hoops that keep fabric tight when working on embroidery, needlecraft and quilting projects, for example, can be combined to create a striking lightweight chandelier or an interchangeable art gallery wall.

Lit up Embroidery Hoop Sphere

Shannon Adams and Alice Hayes, both renters in Athens, Ga., used embroidery hoops on quick and easy DIY projects.

Hayes remade daughter Lillian’s room as she transitioned from a toddler bed to a big girl bed. She wanted wall art that would make it easy to switch out colors and themes as her daughter’s interests change. Hayes also hand painted and lettered lyrics from favorite songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sugarland as wall art.

“The fabrics were picked out because I wanted to tie superheroes into the room in a way that didn't clash,” she says. “It's cheaper and much more changeable than going with a full comic-book-superhero theme.”

The hoops were less than $2 each, and the fabrics were fat quarters (quarter yard cuts) for about 97 cents each. Each hoop only used a small piece of those fat quarters, so Hayes says she has enough left to make matching patchwork pillows.

“Since I didn't paint the walls, if she wants to completely overhaul the room in four years' time I can just change the fabric in the hoops to something that matches--or contrasts tastefully--with her bedding,” she says.

Girl's Room Gallery Wall with Superhero Art

Chalkboard lettering, embroidery hoop art and hand painted and lettered lyrics from favorite songs, such as “Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and “Baby Girl” by Sugarland make up this gallery wall for a little girl.

Photo by: Shannon Adams

Shannon Adams

Embroidery Hoop Wall Art

Supplies:

embroidery hoops

fabric of your choice

scissors

thumb tacks or wall hooks

Steps:

Gather your supplies. Patterned fabric can be found for as little as $1 at discount bins in crafts and fabric stores.

Lay your hoops on your fabric and cut the fabric just larger than the hoop.

Separate the two pieces of each hoop, fit the fabric around the smooth piece and then tighten the adjustable piece over the fabric, holding it in place.

Then repeat, to create a new art wall that can be customized through the years.

Embroidery Hoop Chandelier

Adams’ apartment lacked an overhead fixture in the living room and a single lamp wasn’t providing enough light or ambiance. Here’s how she created her embroidery hoop chandelier, for less than $20 and with just an hour of work.

Photo by: Shannon Adams

Shannon Adams

Supplies:

3 12” embroidery hoops

wood stain

hot glue

light kit (you can buy one at any hardware store)

light bulb socket

squirrel cage light bulb

Steps:

Separate your embroidery hoops so that you have six pieces. Stain each piece with wood stain following directions on the can. Make sure you’re in a well ventilated area.

Stained Embroidery Hoops for a DIY Light Fixture

Separate your embroidery hoops so that you have six pieces. Stain each piece with wood stain following directions on the can. Make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area.

Photo by: Shannon Adams

Shannon Adams

Tip: hot water and a little scrubbing gets stain off wayward fingers.

While you’re waiting for the stain to dry, put together your light kit and socket. This can be a little tricky, but if you follow the directions on the package you shouldn’t have a problem.

Warm up your hot glue gun. When your hoops are dry take four and fit them inside each other vertically, forming stripes like on a basketball. You can open some of them up using the screw on the side to make them fit more snugly. Form the top of your chandelier around the wire of your light kit, using hot glue to secure the wire within the globe.

Hot Glue Secures the Light Kit in this Embroidery Hoop Chandelier

Form the top of your chandelier around the wire of your light kit, using hot glue to secure the wire within the globe. Then, fit the last two pieces of embroidery hoop around the outside of your chandelier horizontally, tilting and overlapping them to form a bit of an X on each side.

Photo by: Shannon Adams

Shannon Adams

Fit the last two pieces of embroidery hoop around the outside of your chandelier horizontally, tilting and overlapping them to form a bit of an X on each side. Dot glue along the overlapping pieces and the bottom of the sphere.